Fredericksburg

Description

The Fredericksburg Loop offers visitors a chance to view birds not easily seen at other locations. Numerous beaver ponds, three reservoirs, and two tidal wetlands provide extensive wetland habitat for a variety of plants, birds, aquatic insects, and animals. Upland habitats include pine and hardwood forests, brushy fields and grasslands. Bottomland hardwood forests, upland early succession woods, and managed fields are other habitat regimes encountered on this loop. Sites such as the Rappahannock River Valley National Wildlife Refuge are a birder’s dream. Superb habitat creates venues at which as many as 180 bald eagles have been sighted in a single day. High, wooded bluffs provide perfect hunting perches for these great birds. In addition to the wildlife, this loop is steeped in history from George Washington’s boyhood home at Ferry Farm to Belmont, the home of the famous American artist Gari Melchers. This loop is a great mix of both wildlife and history.